Chinese products - experiences

[sodamo]

Have had the good, the bad, and the ugly. Love my Chinese made, Value Leader flail mower- not a problem in 3 years and solidly built. My 24kw Chinese built diesel generator is running as I type, far far fewer problems than the 2007, made in USA, GMC diesel pu I bought a few months earlier and recently replaced with a Toyota Tundra because it was always needing something

Around here, the more expensive non Chinese hand tools seem to rust just as fast.

Bought on of those twin bladed metal cutting saws from Sears for a project. Disappointed with it the moment I took out of the box, poor fit and finish, sounds like h*ll, but got the project done. Lent it to a friend and he plugged it in and refused to use it and gave it back. - Made in India.

Funny thing is I've bought a number of the cheap, especially HF that just won't die LOL

David Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[JoeBuyer]

So who here would do this to a Snap On wrench? When the choice is to modify a wrench so you can remove a bolt through an access hole in a bell housing to pull a tranny to replace a throw bearing or pay a tow truck to haul it to a garage where you can pay them it seams pretty clear to me which is more expensive.

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Good point but I would go to a second hand store and look there for one first.

 

[Tig]

If I'm looking for inexpensive and generic, I will buy. The only no go zone is knock offs. I do not want a counterfeit product.

 

[Soundguy]

2nd hand store? i read that as a pawn shop?

pawn shops around me charge 90% of new on name brand tools.. IE.. if it's a 25$ sears wrench, they want nearly 20$ for it.

hf has that wrench for 5$

local pawn shops.. round' here anyway, won't loan on non name brand tools either. ( too inexpensive.. )

soundguy

 

[murphy1244]

2nd hand store? i read that as a pawn shop?

pawn shops around me charge 90% of new on name brand tools.. IE.. if it's a 25$ sears wrench, they want nearly 20$ for it.

hf has that wrench for 5$

local pawn shops.. round' here anyway, won't loan on non name brand tools either. ( too inexpensive.. )

soundguy

Garage sales, I keep a whole box of cheap and old wrenches.Make all kinds of special one of tools.

 

[Bird]

it's not just china. EVERYTHING has planned obselescence. by design.. not accident. manufacturers don't want durable goods.. they want to sell you multiples.

I'm afraid most people don't realize just how true that is. I think many things have improved and last much, much longer, but I had a bit of experience in the auto parts business. I don't know how many of our members on TBN are old enough to remember 1960 when the Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon, and Plymouth Valiant first hit the market. Now I only heard, without evidence, that automobiles had improved to the point that they weren't selling enough parts. So they made those cars to sell cheaper, get better gas mileage, and sell parts. I do know that, before the first ones hit the streets, our parts suppliers sent us coded parts lists so we'd know what to stock; so they obviously knew what was going to wear out and approximately how soon.

We handled a very good brand of rebuilt generators and starters and in a sales meeting once with the factory rep, a mechanic mentioned that they had a bushing that would wear and require replacing generators. He said if they'd change the metal in that bushing they'd last a lot longer. The factory rep said, "Yep, that would cost another nickel for each generator, and then you'd never sell another one. We already rebuild them to last 15% longer than original equipment new ones."

I've no doubt the same thing exists in other products.

 

[Soundguy]

Garage sales, I keep a whole box of cheap and old wrenches.Make all kinds of special one of tools.

i love garage sales. I buy every 1$ incomplete socket set i find. I used to be willingto pay a lil more.. but now that hf will sell you a complete 3/8 drive sae and metric socket set with 3" ext and 1/4" adapter and a cheap lil nut driver for 2.99 to 3.99 .. well.. they are cornering the market on yard sales even!

 

[DarkBlack]

So Willie Wonker wouldn't get rich after all... with his everlasting gobstopper?

 

[Bob77064]

The Chinese hand tools that I have to use once in a while are fine. If I had to use them every day that would be different.

 

[JoeBuyer]

2nd hand store? i read that as a pawn shop?

pawn shops around me charge 90% of new on name brand tools.. IE.. if it's a 25$ sears wrench, they want nearly 20$ for it.

hf has that wrench for 5$

local pawn shops.. round' here anyway, won't loan on non name brand tools either. ( too inexpensive.. )

soundguy

No not pawn shops. Thrift stores, second hand places. Or garage sales like has been mentioned. Also craigslist will have cheap tools sometimes. I recently made two very nice tool sets out of a crate of tools sold to me for $20 at the end of a garage sale. I gave them away as gifts and I still had many tools left over. The crate was still there because it was so heavy and it had other stuff setting on it so no one saw it. It was mostly Husky stuff and it was fine for who I gave the tools to. They had to be out of the house in a hurry so I took it off of their hands. I backed my truck up and transferred all the larger stuff into the truck bed until I could lift the crate. I always keep cheaper tools in the barn, on the tractors, etc. I would rather loose one from a garage sale or thrift store than out of my main set. And I also like to put money in someone's pocket locally by buying used stuff than pay for HF tools being shipped in from china. Way too much stuff gets junked when all it needs is a little wrenching.